Italy: Love it or leave it Review

Bialetti

Beauty in Italy “Everything in Italy is beautiful…on the surface.” The film presents to us at the start. It’s true. This country exudes beauty: from the Roman frescos preserved in Herculaneum to the natural beauty of the countryside of Tuscany. People on the streets are impeccably dressed as well. There’s no avoiding it. Foreigners fall [...] Read more »

Walking—the Best Way to Experience Place

Trains are too romantic. Buses don’t stop enough. Motorcycles too fast. And forget about planes. But not walking. “Walking reminds us of who we are.” says Paul Theroux in an interview about his new book, The Tao of Travel. We feel the earth beneath our feet while walking. We are one with the weather. We need [...] Read more »

Where’s your old home?

Nineteenth century scholar Max Mueller said that by going to India, we are returning to our “old home” full of memories, if only we can read them. I believe we all have an old home, not necessarily India, but someplace, some part of the earth where we feel particularly drawn to or some culture that [...] Read more »

It’s not about the free couch

By Stephen Bugno If you’re a member of couchsurfing.org, you may already know how awesome it is. For those of you who are not, I just want to stress all the amazing experiences I have had because I’m using it. Traveling for me is an extension of real life—not some holiday I take for two [...] Read more »

The Problem with the Backpacker’s Circuit

By Stephen Bugno   “This is just as bad as an all-inclusive resort in Cancun.” I blurt out to myself while hanging from my hammock chair. We are sitting under a thatched-roof hut on the edge of Nicaragua’s Laguna de Apoyo, listening to the surprisingly loud waves crash while the sun goes down behind the [...] Read more »

Planning Less Means More

By Stephen Bugno There have been times when, leading up to a big trip, I have read and researched, printed and photocopied, devoured and digested all available information about the places I was about to visit. I was well versed in the history, cultural norms, and current politics when I arrived and the locals responded [...] Read more »